Food poverty is a significant public health challenge with profound social, psychological and economic consequences for individuals, families and communities.
This lunch and learn session, hosted by the Local Government Association, will begin by exploring the emerging evidence around hunger trauma, highlighting how food insecurity can affect mental health, wellbeing, dignity and identity. The session also outlines the psychological, practical and ethical challenges faced by staff and volunteers in community food support organisations.
Participants will hear from practitioners, volunteers and community leaders working on the frontline of food insecurity. Their experiences will provide valuable insight into the realities of managing hunger in community food systems, the challenges faced by those attempting to meet growing levels of need and the need to move beyond a reliance on emergency food aid.
The lunch and learn will introduce a practical four-tier training and development model that is place-based, context-sensitive and is designed to support local authorities, food partnerships and community organisations to create Foodbank Free Places. This structured framework focuses on:
- Embedding dignity and trauma-informed practice within community food support services.
- Building organisational resilience and supporting volunteers and staff through periods of change.
- Transitioning from emergency food aid models towards sustainable, dignified community food projects such as food clubs, social supermarkets and community food initiatives.
- Developing place-based local food system transition strategies that reduce reliance on food parcels and strengthen preventative, cash-first and resilience-based support.
The session will demonstrate how strategic leadership, partnership working and targeted training can help communities move beyond the reliance on emergency food aid towards more resilient local food systems that provide dignity, choice and connection.
Attendees will gain practical insights into using the Crisis and Resilience Fund to develop local transition plans, supporting community organisations through change, and creating integrated systems that move from a reliance on emergency food aid toward thriving, community-led food systems that support people to flourish.